Angel City Football Club (ACFC) will take the field on Saturday, March 19, for a league-wide preseason tournament, the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. ACFC’s first matchup is against the league’s other 2022 expansion team, San Diego Wave FC.
ACFC will play its home Challenge Cup games at Titan Stadium at California State University Fullerton before kicking off the regular season* at the club’s home pitch, the Banc of California Stadium in Downtown Los Angeles. The roster of 25 players includes forward Christen Press, defenders Sarah Gorden and Ali Riley, midfielder Savannah McCaskill, and goalkeeper DiDi Haračić (full roster listed below). The team trains under Head Coach Freya Coombe, Assistant Coach Robert Udberg, and Goalkeeper Coach Daniel Ball.
ACFC will return to Titan Stadium the following weekend, Saturday, March 26, to face Seattle’s OL Reign. The team will then hit the road for three straight weeks playing away against the Portland Thorns FC (Wednesday, March 30), San Diego Wave FC (Saturday, April 2) and OL Reign (Sunday, April 17).
The 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup will feature three regional groups of four teams:
West Region: Angel City FC, OL Reign, Portland Thorns FC, and San Diego Wave FC
East Region: NJ/NY Gotham FC, North Carolina Courage, Orlando Pride, and Washington Spirit
Central Region: Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash, Kansas City Current, and Racing Louisville FC
ANGEL CITY FOOTBALL CLUB 2022 NWSL CHALLENGE CUP SCHEDULE
The three groups will compete in double round-robin matches ahead of the semifinal round and the NWSL Challenge Cup Final on Saturday, May 7. Details regarding tickets and broadcast schedule for the tournament are forthcoming.
*The complete 2022 NWSL season schedule is forthcoming.
FULL ANGEL CITY FOOTBALL CLUB PRESEASON ROSTER:
ACFC’s preseason roster features the following players (in alphabetical order by last name):
Goalkeepers: Sydney Cassalia (NRI), DiDi Haračić, Brittany Isenhour, Maia Perez (NRI)
Defenders: Vanessa Gilles (INTL), Sarah Gorden, Paige Nielsen, Ali Riley, Allyson Swaby, M.A. Vignola
Midfielders: Hope Breslin, Katie Cousins, Stefany Ferrer Van Ginkel (INTL, NYR), Savannah McCaskill, Lily Nabet, Cari Roccaro, Miri Taylor (INTL), Dani Weatherholt
Forwards: Simone Charley, Jun Endo (INTL), Tyler Lussi, Katie McClure, Christen Press, Jasmyne Spencer
Key: Non-Roster Invitee (NRI), International Player (INTL), Not Yet Reported (NYR)